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How to Write a Compare and Contrast Essay

How to write a compare and contrast essay? What is a comparison essay? Get the answers in the article below.

A compare and contrast essay (also known as comparison essay) requires the author to either compare or contrast an item, – a piece of art, a concept, a literary piece etc. Due to the fact that a comparison essay may require to either compare or contrast things, it can be referred to as a compare/contrast essay. Such type of writing generally requires thorough observation and analysis from the author.

A compare and contrast essay typically follows the rules of common essay writing. The form and ideas may vary, but the structure and logic will in most cases remain the same. For example, any contrast comparison essay will start with a thesis statement, expressing the main idea of the paper. All subsequent paragraphs are meant to support the thesis statement and illustrate it with facts and/or examples. For example, if this is a five paragraph comparison essay, the three paragraphs that follow will serve the purpose of supporting the thesis. The final paragraph usually summarizes the points, expressed in the preceding paragraphs and should also support the thesis statement of the comparison essay.

To write a compare and contrast essay that is easy to follow, first, determine similarities or differences you are going to mention in your essay. To begin with, this can be done on a scrap paper. Determine what is more prominent – the similarities or the differences? Plan to discuss the less significant first, followed by the more significant. It is much easier to discuss ONLY the similarities or ONLY the differences, but you can also do both.

To organize your comparison essay, choose one of the plans described below:

Plan A for writing a compare and contrast essay: Use Plan A if you have many small similarities and/or differences.

After your introduction, say everything you want to say about the first work or character, and then move on to the second half of the essay to say everything about the second work or character.

Compare and contrast each item of the second item with the corresponding item in the first. In this format, all the comparing or contrasting goes on in the SECOND HALF of the piece. The exception to this is your main (thesis) statement, which you may want to put in the beginning.

Plan B for writing a compare and contrast essay: Use Plan B if you have only a few, larger similarities or differences.

After your introduction, discuss one similarity or difference in BOTH works or characters, and then move on to the next paragraph to describe the second similarity or difference in both, then the third, and so forth, until you’re done.

If you are doing both similarities and differences, juggle them on scrap paper so that in each part you put the less important first (“X and Y are both alike in their social positions . . .”), followed by the more important (“but X is much more aware of the dangers of his position than is Y”). In this format, the comparing or contrasting goes on in EACH of the middle parts.

These recommendations apply to the general flow of the compare and contrast essay and may vary depending on how the task is set. Experience shows that coping with such assignment may conceal dozens of other nuances, which often may pass unattended unless a professional writer is working on it. In case you have a compare and contrast essay to work on, our writers can assist you with this assignment and deliver it to your satisfaction. We guarantee that all our papers will be delivered on time and will be free of plagiarism. To order, please visit our order page or contact our live support via chat, email or phone. Privatewriting.com is the service you can trust!

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